Music To My Ears Trivia Quiz

Answer: Love Me Tender

The original title seemed appropriate since the plot of the movie involved three Reno brothers who leave home to fight in the American Civil War. The youngest brother, played by Elvis, stays home to watch over his mother and the family farm. A conflict involving a stolen payroll and attempts at returning the stolen money result in a tragic climax.

The film's title was later changed to "Love me Tender". Elvis sang the title song, the melody of which was adapted from a Civil War song.

"Love Me Tender" was Elvis Presley's first film.

Answer: clavinet

Invented by Ernst Zacharias in 1964, a clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord, a stringed keyboard instrument used primarily from the Middle Ages through the Classical periods of music.

The clavinet is a keyboard with short strings which are in turn struck by a piece of metal when a key is pressed. The vibrations create a percussive sound which can sometimes replace a guitar in rock music.

The range of the clavinet is five octaves.

Answer: Fidelio

The plot of "Fidelio" is inspired by a true story that took place during the French Revolution.

A man named Florestan has been wrongfully imprisoned by Don Pizarro, a political rival. Florestan's wife, Leonore, gets a job at the prison in order to free her husband who is slowly being starved to death by Rocco, the prison warden. To achieve her goal, she goes undercover as a guard named Fidelio. Along the way, in the guise of Fidelio, she befriends Rocco and his daughter. Leonore manages to rescue her husband during a visit from a government official who had been assigned to investigate rumors of cruelty in the prison.

Beethoven struggled with writing his only opera. It is most likely the reason he never attempted to do so again.

Answer: koto

The koto is a type of zither, played by plucking the strings with the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand using plectrums. The left hand can manipulate the strings, made from silk, to the left of the bridge. Pentatonic tunings can be adjusted to fit the type of music being played. The instrument rests on a stand while the player is seated.

The koto, also known as kin, was first introduced during the 8th century. There is a 17-string bass koto used in orchestral pieces. It was invented by Miyagi Michio.

Answer: Teen King and the Emergencies

It's hard to imagine calling this band by any other name. The band formed in 1971 with Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, and Randy Meisner as the original members.

"Hotel California" is one of the band's most recognized songs. The meaning behind the lyrics has several interpretations. According to Don Henley "it's a song about a journey from innocence to experience".

Don Henley enjoyed a solo career in the 1980s while Glenn Frey appeared in the film "Jerry Maguire".

Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Answer: Maggie May

Ray Jackson played the instrument for "Maggie May" which features a mandolin solo at the end of the song.

The mandolin is a pear-shaped instrument that evolved from the lute. Similar to a guitar, it uses a plectrum for plucking.

The three most common types of mandolin are round-backed, flat-backed, and arched top. The type of mandolin played corresponds to the style of music to be performed.

Answer: Pat Boone

Pat Boone's wholesome image and pleasing vocals propelled him to stardom. It didn't hurt that he starred in the films "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "State Fair".

Boone hasn't limited himself to singing just pop music. He ventured out into gospel, country, and even heavy metal. He released the album "In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy" in 1997.

His daughter, Debby, scored a huge hit in 1977 with "You Light Up My Life".

Answer: Pat Metheny

Metheny began playing guitar when he was 12. At age 18 he became a music teacher at the University of Miami and, at age 19, taught at the Berklee College of Music.

One of Metheny's many musical contributions has been to draw attention to the orchestrion, a machine resembling a calliope, designed to mimic the sound of an orchestra or band. The Pikasso Guitar, built by luthier Linda Manzer and played by Metheny for many years, is a 42-string hybrid acoustic instrument with four necks and two soundholes. It dispels the notion of what acoustic guitars should look and sound like.

Answer: Monday

This California band formed in 1981. The original members consisted of Susanna Hoffs, sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson, and Michael Steele.

The band broke up in 1989 due to conflicts with the lead vocalist but reformed in 1998. They performed the song "Get the Girl" as part of the soundtrack for the film "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me".

Prince wrote the song "Manic Monday" in 1984. Since he was a fan of The Bangles, he approached the band and suggested they record their version of his song. That's exactly what they did and the song became a number one hit.

Answer: Guido d'Arezzo

Guido d'Arezzo was an Italian music theorist who created the now familiar five-line staff notion during the Medieval period. Prior to that, neumatic notation was used. This type of notation used neumes, or successive musical pitches found in Gregorian chant.

Neume comes from the Greek word 'pneuma' meaning breath.